When I Die
by RadientWings
Summary: Caroline hadn't seen her cousin, Sam, since Dean's death, before she became a vampire. What happens when they both return? Family fic. Slightly AU. Three-shot.
1. Part 1

**Just an idea that popped into my head about my two favorite fandoms. May be a two or three shot. Set after 3x03 of TVD and in season 5 of SPN. The ages are based on the timelines of both stories and what ages the characters would be in 2010.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or Supernatural, unfortunately. **

Caroline looked at herself in the mirror. She was never more relieved to be home. But, then again, she had never been _tortured_ by her own _father_ before. She sighed.

Being a vampire _sucked_. No pun intended.

She found herself wishing for simpler days when her biggest worry was making sure to choreograph the right steps for cheerleading practice.

But, part of her was also happy that she had become a vampire. Everything may be intensified, hurt, anger, despair, but also love and happiness. It also seemed to bring out the better parts of her.

She was glad she was not longer the shallow cheerleader she used to be. Ever since her turning, she had connected more with her friends, her mom. She may have lost her dad, but, she should have known that being a vampire would bring some major repercussions as well.

"_Daddy you can't change who I am."_

"_Stop! Please Stop!"_

"_Daddy?"_

Caroline shook her, trying to get the horrible memories out of her head. She and her dad had always gotten along so well... and, now? He hated her. Caroline felt the tears fill her eyes. _No, I will not cry. You are stronger then that now. _

_You're aren't girly little Caroline anymore._

She glanced to the side of her mirror, looking at the many framed pictures. There was one of her, Bonnie and Elena, Stefan slightly visible in the background. There was one of the cheerleading team. Another was of her and her mother. There was one with her father. The last was of her and her only cousins.

Sam and Dean.

She was about eight in the picture, Dean was twenty-two and Sam eighteen. She was on Dean's back and they were both smiling happily, Sammy at their side and if you looked carefully you could see the Impala in the distance. They were both a lot older than her, and she had always looked up to them.

Sam and Dean were her long-dead Aunt Mary's sons. Aunt Mary was her mom's older sister, and she had died a long time before Caroline was born, when Sam was only six months old.

The tears in her eyes increased as she thought of them. Dean had died nearly a year ago.

* * *

"_Dean! Dean! Look, look! I did it!" A five-year-old Caroline squealed, jumping up and down in victory. For an hour now her 19-year-old cousin had been trying to show her how to tie her shoes and finally she was able to do it. Dean reached out and ruffled her messy blond curls, chuckling at the little girl's enthusiasm._

"_You sure did, little bear." He said, smiling at her, from his perch on the chair next to hers. Caroline suddenly jumped down from her chair, stumbling a bit, before jumping up on Dean's lap and wrapping her skinny arms around his neck._

"_Thank you, Deanie. You're the bestest cousin ever!"_

"_My pleasure, Care." Dean chuckled, squeezing her a little._

* * *

"_What's the matter, little bear?" Dean asked his eight-year-old cousin worriedly, not sure what to do with her tears. He placed a calming hand on her shoulder, sitting beside her on her (very pink) bed. She sniffled, glancing away from her cousin._

"_Bonnie and I got into a fight." She whispered sadly._

"_And why's that?" He asked gently._

"_She said that I was a meanie... But I'm not the meanie! She is! She didn't want me to play with her and Elena." She let out another little sniffle. Dean, for lack of knowing what else to do, just put his arm around her, and brought her tiny body close to him._

"_Don't worry, Care. I'm sure Bonnie will realize just what a special girl you are. She'll come around soon enough and then she'll always be asking you to play with her." He smiled down at her, trying to cheer her up._

"_You really mean that?" She looked up at him with big blue, teary eyes._

"_Course I do! Besides, you know I'm always right!" He teased. She giggled._

"_You're silly, Deanie." _

"_That's me, silly cousin Dean."_

* * *

"_Dean, how come Sam's not with you?" Twelve-year-old Caroline asked her twenty-six-year-old cousin. He looked down at her, a bit of sadness in his voice._

"_Sasquatch isn't cool enough to hang with us, little bear!" He said, big smile on his face. Caroline could tell it was fake, she was the expert after all. She frowned a little and approached Dean, wrapping her arms around his waist. Dean looked down in surprise and, placing his hand on her head, pulled it back a little so she was looking up at him._

"_Whatcha doing, little bear?" He asked, curious._

"_I'm sorry you miss Sammy, Dean. I miss him too." Dean simply nodded and let the little girl try to comfort him._

_It was nice to be the one taken care of for a change._

* * *

She smiled slightly, thinking of all the happy, and sad, times she had had with her cousins. She hadn't heard from Sam ever since he called to tell her of his brother's death. She had missed the funeral, as he had only called her after, tears thick in his voice.

* * *

"_Hi, Caroline speaking!" _

"_C-Care? It's Sam."_

"_Sammy! I haven't heard from you and Dean in a while! Where have you been? You have a lot to answer for mister! Seriously, you couldn't-"_

"_Caroline." Sam interrupted in a strange voice. She immediately stopped rambling. "Dean. He's dead, Care. Dean's dead."_

* * *

That phone call was one of the worst moments of her life. It was on par with her death. She had always been close to Dean, their shared enthusiasm for the little things making it easy for them to connect. He always made an effort to visit her and mom, too. Stopping by randomly at least once a year. Sometimes he would be full of energy and life, doing anything she wanted to do, even though it was most likely boring due to the age difference. Still, it made no matter to Dean and he would always approach every activity with a smile. Other times, though, he'd be tired. Exhausted to his bones, world-weary.

"_Sorry, Care, I don't think I'm up to it today."_ He'd say. They would end up spending the day inside watching TV and snacking on junk food until her mom caught them, but that didn't matter; she was just happy she got to spend some time with him.

When she had gotten that call from Sam, it had been more than a year since Dean's last visit and the thought made her sadness increase even more. She wished she had gotten to see him more often.

_What would you think of me now, Dean?_

She frowned, and put the picture back down. She wondered how Sam was doing; she knew how close he was to his elder brother; though she was also closer to Dean, that didn't mean that she didn't care for Sam.

When Sam had been attending college, he came to visit them sometimes on his breaks. He was always kind to her and always knew the right things to say. He would usually only stay a day or two, but it was enough. She smiled, remembering the many times Sam had helped her with a particularly hard math problem, or a particularly annoying history essay; he was always so patient.

But that's just how the Winchester brothers were, wasn't it? Where Dean was loud, obnoxious, and overprotective, Sam was calmer, more reasonable, and innately clever. Dean was always better with his hands, when Sammy constantly had his head in the clouds.

They were opposite sides of the coin.

Caroline missed them.

A lot.

It's like, when she lost Dean, she lost Sam too.

Suddenly, Caroline stood up and picked up her purse, dumping its contents onto her bed. Sifting through her stuff, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contact list. She stopped on Sam's name, hesitating for a moment. She shook her head, _what are you scared of? This is Sam!_ She hit call, and sat on her bed, legs folded beneath her.

It went straight to voicemail. _No surprise there._

"Heya Sammy." She cleared her throat awkwardly, not sure what to say. "Um, it's Caroline... Remember your obnoxious little cousin? Yeah, uh, that's me." She winced slightly. _Really? Of all the things I could say._ "Well, just calling to check in, ask how everything's going... Haven't seen you in a while, cuz. Um, yeah, just, you know call me if you have the chance. I'd love to hear from you! Yeah, bye." She hung up and groaned.

"I am _such_ a ditz!" Frustrated, she buried her face in her pillow.

In her embarrassment, she missed the buzzing of her phone.

* * *

After spending the rest of her weekend in a slight depression over her familial problems, Caroline decided that she wouldn't let herself be upset anymore. After all, she was Caroline _frickin'_ Forbes, Queen Bee of Mystic Falls High. That morning, she went to school with an extra bright smile on her face.

The mood didn't last, however, when she ran into her dad after school.

"_I'm going to be okay."_

"_No, sweetie, you're a vampire. You're never going to be okay again."_

She sighed as she arrived home, surprised to find there was already a car in the driveway. A very recognizable car.

_The Impala._

Quickly, she parked her car and jumped out of it, hurriedly grabbing her bag and running to the front door. Through the glass, she could see a very tall, very familiar man. With a bright smile, she whipped the door open, causing the man to turn around in surprise. Immediately she launched herself into his arms, laughing.

"Sammy!" Even though he was clearly shocked at her sudden appearance, his arms automatically caught her and he lifted her off of her feet.

"Hey there, Care." He chuckled in a rare moment of happiness. A second later he placed the blonde back on the ground. She smiled happily up at her extremely tall cousin.

"You came! I thought my message might've scared you off for good!" She was still looking at him, wide-eyed. Sam couldn't help but let out another chuckle. Her response was so... _Caroline._

"Well, here I am. So clearly you did something right... cuz." He added with a teasing smile. She smacked his arm in response, and Sam was surprised to find it actually hurt. He frowned and rubbed his arm. "Wow, Care, that was a hard hit."

"You deserved it." She glared. "What were you thinking? We've had _no_ idea how you are... where you've even been? A phone call might have been nice, Sam." She scolded. Sam had the decency to look a little shame-faced. Suddenly she heard the toilet flush from the bathroom, and the sink start up.

"Uh, Sam, did you bring someone with you?" She asked, a little worried that there might be a stranger in the house. There was no answer and she looked back to Sam, noticing his slightly panicked look. "Sammy? You okay there?" She questioned, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Damn Sammy! Thank God we got here when we did, don't know what I would've done-" The eerily familiar voice stopped suddenly. _No, it couldn't be. That's impossible._ Slowly she pivoted, and nearly fainted from shock at who she saw standing in her hallway.

It was Dean. Her cousin. Her very _dead_ cousin, who was now looking at her with a mixture of awkwardness and joy on his weathered face.

"Hi there, little bear." He stated in a quiet voice. Caroline's eyes widened.

"W-What?" She asked, completely confused and somewhat terrified. "H-How are you here? It's impossible. Y-You're dead." She whispered. Dean simply shrugged.

It _was _impossible, though. At least for a human. Caroline knew this perfectly well. This could _not_ be Dean. At least, not her Dean.

She suddenly blurred over to him, fangs sharpening and eyes darkening, and slammed the imposter into the wall. The look of horrified shock on his face all but confirmed that he immediately knew what she was. Dean wouldn't have known that, he was a normal guy. Normal guys don't know about the supernatural.

"What are you?" She hissed. He didn't reply, only looked at her in sadness. She slammed him into the wall once. "I asked, what _are_ you?"

Suddenly, she felt a prick in her neck, and she stumbled back, dropping the impostor-Dean in the process. She lifted her hand to her neck, surprised when she pulled out a syringe. She had been _vervained_. She turned to look at Sam in desperation and confusion.

"W-Why?" She whispered.

Then Caroline's world went black and she knew no more.

**Part One done. Part Two will be up soon, hopefully and then after that Part Three.**

**Anyways, let me know what you think!**

**RW**


	2. Part 2

**Here's Part 2!**

**Just quickly, the vampire mythology is a little different to suit the needs of this story. For now, let's assume that the vampires are all like the ones in TVD, so Sam and Dean know what they are :)**

**I just want to thank Tayler, Dark-Supernatural-Angel, Samantha meyers, and CeffylDrwg for reviewing :D I also want to thank all those of you who fav'd or added this story to their story alert list. You guys are all awesome!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own TVD or Supernatural :(**

Sam and Dean were in the Impala as per usual, trying to find a way to beat Lucifer, the friggin' devil. It was a hard task, to say the least. It had only been a few weeks since Ellen and Jo died and their loss had hit the Winchester brothers hard. Losing allies and friends never got any easier.

Dean felt his eyes drooping, and glanced at his brother, who was snoring lightly in the passenger seat. A sign for motel came up and Dean decided now was as good a time as any to get some shut-eye. He pulled in parking the car and got a room, when he got back, he rudely opened and slammed Sam's door and he startled awake.

"Rise and shine, Sammy." Dean said gruffly.

"What the Hell, man?" Sam groaned, getting out of the car. He stood and stretched for a moment, before shooting an irritated glare at his brother.

"C'mon, got a room." Dean grabbed his duffle, tossing Sam's to him. They walked tiredly to the room when Sam stopped.

"Wait, forgot my phone. " He threw his bag in the door and jogged off. Dean rolled his eyes, sighing. _Was it too much to ask to just get some sleep?_ As he entered the room, he shed his coat and tore of his boots, flopping on one of the single beds. _Home, crappy home._ He felt his eyes shutting, when the door slammed back open.

Sam came in, phone to his ear, frown on his face. Dean peeked at him curiously, as if asking, _who_ _was that?_ Clearly the message was received when Sam gave him the answer.

"Well, that was Caroline." _Caroline?_ Dean shot up from his bed, suddenly wide awake.

"Whoa, what? As in _Caroline_, Caroline?" He asked dumbly. Sam just nodded in return, brow creased in worry. "Well, what she say?" Sam just handed him his phone. Dean smiled a bit as he listened to his cousin's awkward message. As he finished the message, he came to a decision. "We have to go see her."

"I don't know, Dean." Sam replied, doubtfully. "I mean the last time I contacted to her was to tell her you _died_, how are we going to explain your miraculous recovery? Besides, we're in the middle of the apocalypse. We're a little busy to go visiting people."

"All the more reason. We may not have a chance to go see her ever again. As for the whole me dying thing... She doesn't need to see _me_. She can just see you, I'll hang low." Dean offered.

"We shouldn't bring her into this, Dean. Things are dangerous enough as it is."

"I just want to check up on her Sammy. She's our cousin, our _family_. In case you haven't noticed, we are running short on that nowadays."

"Alright, alright _fine_, but we better stock up on vervain." Sam conceded with a groan. Dean smiled widely for the first time in weeks. _Mystic Falls here we come._

* * *

Caroline was tied to a chair, or well, shackled to a chair, _again_. She tried to break her wrists free, frustrated when she couldn't; she was still too weak. _Damn vervain!_ She tried again, using her entire body, letting out a desperate noise.

"No. No. Not Again!" She said, voice breaking. "Come on!" Nothing worked. Slowly, Caroline felt her panic rising. It had only been a few days since her father had her in a similar chair and let the sun burn her. She felt tears rise to her eyes, _please please, I need to get out of here!_ She looked down to her hand, relieved to see her ring was still there. Taking a few calming breaths, she gathered her thoughts.

Sam. Sam and _Dean_. They were here in Mystic Falls. And they knew what she was right away, Sam had even been armed against vampires from the get-go and she wouldn't be surprised if imposter-Dean was also heavily armed with stakes and vervain syringes. The only question she had was why hadn't they already ended her? If they knew what she was then they knew she was dangerous, why go through the trouble of weakening her and keeping her tied down?

She wasn't sure what to think of that.

_I can't believe Sam vervained me._

Her melancholy thoughts were interrupted when the iron door opened and in walked the source of her problems. She glared at the two men, before snapping her head away from them, looking in the other direction.

"Get that imposter _away_ from me." She hissed, referring to fake-Dean. From the corner of her eye she could see him shaking his head sadly. She turned back to look at Sam in annoyance and grief. "I said, get him away!" She commanded.

"I don't really think you are in the position to be making demands, Care." Fake-Dean said with a sad half-smile.

"Shut up! Don't talk to me!" She snarled, finally looking at him. He looked so much her cousin. The thought made her even angrier, how _dare_ he disrespect Dean's memory like this? He was even wearing Dean's _clothes_, right down to the leather jacket. She felt the veins around her eyes begin to pulse, her anger representing itself as bloodlust. Looking into the imposter's eyes a few moments longer, she turned away once more, calming herself enough to let her get control over her fangs; when she returned to glaring at them, her eyes were their normal sky blue.

The 'brothers' approached Caroline, for a moment she wanted to shrink away, disappear, but if there was one thing that Caroline never wanted to be ever again it was weak. So she met them head on, not looking away but gazing at them steadily. They stood before her for a while, neither party breaking the silence. She decided she had enough.

"If you're going to torture me, get on with it... I don't have all day... or, well, actually, I have an eternity but who's counting?" She said testily. The two men opposite her looked at her in surprise.

"Why would you think we are going to torture you?" Sam, the traitor, asked.

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe it's because I'm shackled to a friggin' _chair_?" She retorted. "Torture seems to be trending lately." At this, Sam looked somewhat disturbed, whilst Dean looked like he was fuming.

"We aren't going to torture you." The taller of the two stated.

"Then why don't you be a good Sasquatch and unshackle me?" The imposter smiled at this, chuckling; she glared at him until he stopped.

"You know we can't do that, Caroline." Sam replied. She raised an eyebrow as if to say, _oh, really?_ "The minute we unshackle you are going to attack Dean and we _all_ know it."

"That isn't _Dean_, Sammy. Dean is dead. You said so yourself." She snarled.

"Look, Care, I know it's really hard to understand, but this really is Dean."

"Then explain it to me, Sam, because I don't get it." Caroline said, letting a little bit of her vulnerability show.

"Honestly, I'm not sure if you'll believe us."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a vampire. Trust me, nothing you can say will surprise me."

With a sigh, they began to tell their story.

* * *

Caroline had been dead wrong. Their story hadn't just surprised her but completely blown her expectations of anything in life; it was so crazy insane that they couldn't have made it up. That meant that Dean was really _Dean_; a fact that had her feeling many things, joy, relief... confusion, empathy.

She still couldn't believe her cousins were _hunters.._. That her uncle John had been a hunter, and that her mom had known about it all this time. Then again, her mom was on the council, it shouldn't surprise her that she kept secrets. Still, she would have appreciated a heads up.

One thing still vexed her. If Sam and Dean were hunters, then why wasn't she dead?

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked quietly, when they finished their terrible tale.

"No, little bear, we aren't going to _kill _you." Dean, her Dean, said coming closer and crouching down in front of her, taking her hand in his. "A few years ago, we might've." His blatant honesty didn't really shock her, it was always Dean's way. He didn't beat around the bush. "But, things have changed. We're still a little... hesitant about it, but we learned that not all monsters, are, uh, _monsters_. You're still Caroline, aren't you? Just a little more fangy." He smirked, but, for once she didn't respond with a smile. She just looked at him, teary-eyed.

"How can you be so sure? That I'm not a monster?" She asked, brokenly.

"Because you're Caroline... and because we found the blood bags in the fridge." At this, she laughed bitterly. "Bottom line, bad vampires don't keep their food in the fridge, they keep it in cages." Now she started laughing and crying, not sure why she was doing either.

"Care, are you ok there?" Sam asked.

"How can you both be more accepting than my own father?" She asked in thick voice, a tear finally spilling over.

"What are you talking about, little bear?" With that, Caroline began her own tale. It wasn't as long or as painful as the Winchester's but it wasn't easy either. How do you explain to your cousins that you had been bitten and compelled over and over again? How do you explain that you accidently killed a man? Or that you had been smothered to death by a vampire who was the spitting image of your best friend?

Still, she told them all of it, down to her dad's torture of her... and they had listened, surprisingly without judgement. When she finished retelling her experiences, no words were said. She knew they believed her, how could they not? She had believed them. She believed they were in the middle of the apocalypse. The end of the world.

Caroline was still reeling. Her life had been pie compared to theirs. Dean had been to _Hell_. Sam had _died._ Angels were _real_, demons too. Suddenly she sat up straighter and she cleared her throat. The brothers looked to her.

"Hey guys, do you mind unshackling me now?" She asked with a smile. As soon as she was free, she jumped out of her seat and crashed into her cousins, hugging them both around the neck.

"I'm glad you're alright. Both of you." She whispered. She let go just as abruptly as she had held onto them and promptly punched Sam in the arm. Hard.

"Ow! What the Hell, Caroline?" He hissed, glaring down at her much smaller form.

"That's for vervaining me, you jerk!" She shouted with narrowed eyes. Dean chuckled and then she hit him too, harder than she did Sam. He winced and rubbed his arm. "You, sir, better tell me the next time you come back from Hell. Do you have any idea how it made me feel to think you were dead? And you shackled me to a chair!" She accused. Dean lifted his hands in a placating gesture.

"Alright, alright, we're sorry, ok?"

"Good." She smirked, heading to the door. "Now, if you both don't mind, I need to get some blood, the vervain seriously weakened-" She was interrupted by the door suddenly slamming open and a blur making its way in and knocking Sam and Dean down. The very familiar vampire held the Winchester brothers down with his superior strength.

"Damon! What are you doing?" Caroline blurred over to Damon, trying to pull him off Dean.

"Get out of here, Blondie, we'll take care of these _hunters_." The older vampire snarled, fangs extended, eyes darkening. She started to panic, on any other day she may have had just had enough strength to pull the Salvatore off of her cousins, but with the vervain coursing through her veins, she had no chance. _I just got them back, I can't lose them now._

"Damon, stop!" Another voice called out from behind her. She snapped to look back and was relieved to see Alaric standing in the doorway, crossbow at his side, she was about to call out his name when-

"Ric?"

That didn't come from her; she looked back to her cousins.

"Hey Dean, Sam." Alaric replied.

_Wait, what?_

**That's it for now! Part 2 will up sometime next week!**

**Let me know what you think!**

**RW**


	3. Part 3

**Thank you to NoFate2608, roxxroj, Clana621, WestAnimeBrigade, Dark-Supernatural-Angel, Lily94, and Samantha meyers for reviewing! Also thanks to those who added When I Die to their story alert or favourite lists ;)**

**Last instalment. For now at least.**

**Disclaimer: Supernatural and TVD belong to their respective owners... which is not me.**

Alaric Saltzman was many things. A history teacher. A man. A small-time hunter. He wasn't big on the whole demons thing, fighting them off was for the big-shots. He hunted vampires and sometimes, though it was hard to admit, not very well. Now he was in league with vampires, hell, he could even call one of them his friend. Damn how the mighty could fall. He had come to Mystic Falls prepared to end Damon Salvatore and now they sat together in the Mystic Grill, both nursing a drink.

Still, Ric didn't allow himself to go completely soft. He still trained, stayed in shape. He also kept in contact with a few of his old hunting pals. Bobby Singer kept him updated on the big points of today, though he hadn't heard from him in a while. Still, he had a lot of connections that he made when he was searching for answers about Isobel.

That's why Ric immediately recognized the sleek black car known as the Winchester's Impala. That could only mean _one_ thing, the Sam and Dean were here, in Mystic Falls. Looks like they finally caught up on the many 'animal' attacks the town suffered annually. He hadn't seen the Winchesters in five, maybe four years. Last he heard they were still looking for the infamous John Winchester, hunter extraordinaire.

The Winchesters were big-shots, everyone in the hunting world knew that. You did not mess with them. John had fallen off the grid a while back, but now his sons took up his mantle without an issue. They were even more feared and admired than their father and you let them do their job; no one wants a Winchester on their ass.

Which is exactly what he was telling Damon right now, he knew the vampire population wasn't safe. For the most part he didn't care, but for Elena's sake, and partially for his own, he knew he had to warn a few people. Like Damon.

"So these buddies of yours, they're vampire hunters like you? If I _remember_ correctly, you weren't exactly able to kill us." Damon mocked slightly with a smirk.

"I've got nothing on these guys; they've been trained to take down vampires, demons, any monster your mind can come up with, since childhood. They _will_ be able to kill you and they won't hesitate to. The Winchesters know their stuff." Alaric said, very serious, trying it to get it through the vampire's thick head.

"If these _Winchesters_ are so feared and powerful, than how come I haven't heard of them before?" Damon asked, eyebrow raised.

"Probably because they've killed all the supernatural creatures they've come across."

"Sounds ominous. Maybe I should go sleep in my coffin underground where I'll be safe." He chuckled as he took a sip of his drink.

"I'm serious, Damon. You have to lay low until they leave town." Alaric tried to get his point across.

"Alright, alright, don't throw a hissy fit, Ric." Came the vampire's reply, as he pulled out his phone. He lifted the phone to his ear as it ringed.

"What are you _doing_?" Alaric asked, exasperated.

"Well _you_ clearly didn't warn Vampire Barbie..." The other stated, "Damn, voicemail." Damon shrugged. "I tried, not my fault she didn't pick up."

"Come on, let's go."

"Go, go where?"

"To Caroline's house. She needs to know." Alaric replied in a tone that implied, _where else?_

"Oh no, I am _not_ going to Blondie's house."

"In case you haven't noticed, I just saved your ass from a very humiliating death. So, the way I see it, you owe me one, and I am calling in a favour. There is no way I am going to Sheriff Forbes' house, _alone_."

"What's the point of warning Barbie anyway?" Damon muttered with an eye roll.

"One, she's my student and two, it'll get you points with Elena." Ric replied promptly.

"Let's go."

This time Alaric rolled his eyes.

* * *

Alaric and Damon arrived at the quaint house, ready to enter when Ric put a hand to indicate them to stop. There, in the driveway, stood the car that started all of this in the first place; the Impala. _Damn it, they work fast._ Damon immediately turned serious, and they both crept towards the house quietly.

The door was ajar; they entered the house, looking around. Straight away, Alaric noticed the slight dent in the wall; Caroline had put up a fight.

Damon had bent down and pulled something from under a cabinet that stood in the hallway. It was a syringe, not unlike some of his own; a vervain dart as he liked to call them.

"Vervain." The vampire commented unnecessarily.

"Do you think she's alive?"

"Well, technically, she's already _dead_." At Alaric's decidedly not amused face, Damon sighed. "I don't know. Would you vervain a vampire if you were going to kill her anyway?"

"The only reason you knock out a hunt is when you need answers. They have probably already guessed there's more than one vampire here... They're going to interrogate her. But where would they go?"

"Where does anyone go when you want some privacy to torture baby vampires?" Damon retorted.

"The old properties." Alaric said. "Only a few are still intact though. The old Lockwood cellars, the Forbes prison cells, and a few others. We'll have to search them."

"Damn. Looks we're going on a rescue mission, _again_. How does that girl always get into so much trouble?" Damon questioned.

Alaric himself didn't know, but he did know they would need a plan, and _lots_ of ammo if they had a chance of slipping past the Winchesters, or, by some miracle, convince them not to harm the vampires he considered his friends.

* * *

"Hey Dean, Sam." Alaric said, causing Caroline to look on in utter confusion. _Huh? _ The Winchesters themselves looked somewhat shocked at the arrival of her history teacher. _They know each other?_

"Wait, come again?" She questioned, momentarily forgetting the fact that her cousins were still pinned down by Damon the James Dean-wannabe and thinking about more important things; such as the fact that Sam and Dean were on a first name basis with _Alaric_. "You guys know him? Like _know_ know him?" She directed this to the brothers, for once having to look down at them instead of up. Then she glanced to the other man in the doorway, who still had his crossbow at his side. "You _know_ my _cousins_?" This time it was Alaric who adopted the utterly confused expression, but before he could get another word out, Damon beat him to it.

"Woah, Blondie, you're actually related to these oafs?" He asked, not loosening his grip from them.

"Yes! Now, let _go_, Damon." She commanded, tugging at him; he pushed her away, _hard_. Caroline flew back into the opposite wall of the cell, the same her father had kept her in. She crashed into it with a pained groan.

"Touch her again..." Dean hissed from where he lay.

"And you'll what? Glare at me?" Damon snarked.

"Let them _go_, Damon, please." Caroline pleaded, getting up and dusting herself off.

"Not until I know they won't harm me, in case you didn't know, your _cousins_ here are hunters." The other vampire spat in return.

"They're not going to hurt you, are you guys?" She turned to look at Sam and Dean, eyes wide.

"I'm considering it." Dean snarled, Sam shooting him an annoyed look, as if to say _really? _

"Not helping!" Caroline glared at her older cousin.

"Damon, just let them go, you don't want to piss off a Winchester." Alaric said, finally approaching.

"Right, because they are so scary. If they're such legends, then how come I have them pinned, and not the other way around?" The vampire replied, smirking. In that moment, Damon let his guard down for a split second as he turned his head away from the brothers, leaving himself open. Sam and Dean sprang into action.

Dean slammed his head into the vampire's, causing him to let go in shock, and immediately, Sam tackled dazed man. Damon fell to the floor whilst Dean pulled something from his pocket; a stake. As he raised his right hand to bring the weapon plunging into the vampire's chest, a small hand stopped him, gripping his wrist with supernatural force. He turned to his younger cousin in surprise.

"Don't hurt him." She pleaded quietly.

"After all he's done to you?" He asked, still shocked, from what his cousin had told him, this _Damon_ was up to no good. Caroline looked hesitant, for a moment. Damon has used her for his own pleasure when she had been human; to her, he had been truly a monster. But now that she herself was a blood-sucking creature of the night… She couldn't afford to lose any allies, even those that had been willing to let her die.

"My friends and I… we need him." She said, struggling to get the words out.

"Fine." Dean sighed, hiding the stake back in his pocket. He ran a hand through his hair, before looking back at Damon, and towering over him. "You ever hurt any of my family ever again, I will stake you before you can say Winchester." He snarled. Sam stood, backing his brother up, his extreme height looking extra menacing. They both glared at the vampire for another second, before turning around and going to Alaric.

Caroline stood by Damon, arms crossed over her chest, eyebrow raised. "Now, we're even. You came to save me, probably for less than honorable reasons, and I've repaid the favor."

"Aww, didn't know you cared, Blondie." Damon mocked, getting up.

"Shut up." She hissed. She turned abruptly, going to where her cousins were, standing next so Sam as they greeted Alaric properly.

"What are you doing here, Ric?" Dean asked. "And why are you all buddied up with the _vamp_?" He continued, before quickly turning to the only girl in the vicinity. "No offense, Care."

"None taken." She shrugged.

"Moved here a while back, still hunting Isobel's killer. Though, turns out she wasn't dead, or dead dead. She was turned." Alaric replied, almost monotonously as he mentioned his ex-wife.

"Sorry, man." Sam said, arm going around Caroline's shoulders. They knew what it was like to have a loved turned against their will.

"It's ok. She wanted it." Sam frowned; why would she want that? To be immortal meant you would watch everyone around you die. He knew Caroline felt this way; she had never wanted to be a vampire. And she told them how she had been so scared when Katherine killed her. Sam wished he would have visited sooner; maybe he could have prevented this from happening to her. His arm tightened around her shoulders unconsciously, and she glanced up at him, concerned.

"So, you guys are really related?" Alaric asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Yeah. Caroline here is our one and only cousin." Dean smirked. "Thank God; I couldn't deal with two annoying younger cousins."

"Hey!" Came an indignant voice. Dean just chuckled.

"I'm confused though, I thought your dad didn't have any siblings?" Ric asked.

"He doesn't. Liz is our mom's younger sister; she's the only relative we know of on Mom's side." Sam explained. Their conversation was interrupted by Damon, who suddenly barged in between them.

"Sorry interrupt this little reunion, but I think we may want to get out of here."

"What did you do now, Damon?" Caroline asked, exasperation clear in her voice.

"I may or may not have left a message on the Sheriff's phone that her only daughter has been kidnapped and where she could be." He said, shrugging.

"We should get out of here." Dean said, tugging Caroline with him as he headed to the door, the others following close behind. "I really don't need another bullet wound in me."

* * *

Alaric, Sam, Dean, and Caroline were all in the Salvatore house. Damon had gone briefly to the police station to tell the Sheriff about the 'false alarm'. They were currently discussing recent events, such as the _casual_ topic of conversation of the apocalypse.

Caroline's mind was still reeling.

"I want to help." She announced abruptly, causing the three men to look at her in sudden surprise. Sam and Dean shared one of their annoying looks that meant they were agreeing something. _I wouldn't be surprised if they're telepathic_, Caroline thought to herself, snorting.

"Care. You can't." Sam said, eyes sad.

"Why not? I'm strong! I can fight. I could have your back, work with you guys. You wouldn't need only each other anymore!" She exclaimed with passion.

"You're not coming, Caroline. And that's final." Dean stated in a commanding tone, arms across his chest.

"You are not my father, so don't talk to me like you are." She replied, eyes sparking.

"No." Her cousin admitted. "I'm not... But, I am your family, and I am going to look out for you whether you like it or not." Caroline was about to interrupt him when Dean put up a hand to silence her. "Look, I know you're strong; heck, you're probably stronger me and Sam combined, but you're only seventeen and you haven't been trained like we have. I don't want you in our mess, little bear, you'll only get hurt..." At this, he adopted a haunted expression as if lost in another world. "Sammy and I can't lose another family member." He cleared his throat, suddenly, coming back to reality. "Besides, it seems like you could be used here, Care."

Caroline frowned; her cousin did have a point. She was needed in Mystic Falls. Elena needed someone to talk to about the whole Stefan shenanigan, and Bonnie needed someone to rant to. Not to mention, Tyler needed her help with his little werewolf issue and there's also the fact that Klaus could find out at any moment that Elena isn't as dead as she should be. But, didn't the apocalypse trump all that? Sam and Dean, though, they wouldn't let her help, and one look at Alaric confirmed that he was on the side of the Winchesters. She sighed, conceding.

"Fine, I'll stay." She ignored Dean's smug smile. "But, you have to promise me something. If you _do_ need help, just call. Even if it's for a..." She hesitated, momentarily "...a _hunt_, you can't get to. Alaric and I can take care of it." Ric nodded in agreement.

"Done."

Caroline faintly heard the opening and closing of the front door, signalling a new arrival. A moment later, Damon sauntered into the living room, casual smirk on his face.

"Well?" She asked, expectantly.

"Liz has been informed of the mistake." She smiled in relief; her mother's wrath was a thing to be feared, even when it was not directed at you.

"Well, then, that's our cue." Sam said, as he stood, Dean following.

"What? Why?" She asked, frowning.

"I wish we could stay longer, Caroline, but we have a world to, you know, save." Dean replied, small smirk playing around his features. He turned suddenly to Damon.

"I would say it was a pleasure but that would be an outright lie." He stated.

"I'm flattered, really." The vampire replied with his own smirk. Sam didn't say anything, just nodded at him.

"Ric. It was good to see you again, man." Sam said, shaking the other hunter's hand.

"You too." Alaric replied.

"Keep an eye on our cousin, will you?" Dean asked, and Ric nodded. When their farewells were over, Caroline approached her cousins.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the door."

Making their way through the grand halls of the Salvatore house, they walked in silence. They reached the front door they stopped, still quiet. Dean cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well, I guess we'll see you around then." He was surprised when the blonde girl jumped at him, wrapping him in her warm embrace. He immediately returned it.

"Take care of yourselves." She whispered, before pulling away. "And, for god sakes, _call_ me once in a while." She glared at them both.

"Yes ma'am." They replied.

"Good." She reached towards Sam, giving him a big bear hug, laughing when he picked her up off the ground again.

"See you, Care." He said as he put her back down.

"Bye, Sammy." She replied, pecking him quickly on the cheek. He smiled, before walking out the door, his brother staying for another moment.

"If you die, I will hunt you ass down and kill you." She said bluntly. She thought Dean would chuckle, but for once he looked perfectly serious.

"I'll try not to." Caroline nodded, knowing it was the best she would get. Her cousin gave her shoulder a squeeze and kissed her lightly on the forehead, much like he used to when she was younger. "Try not to get kidnapped too many times when we're gone, little bear." She rolled her eyes at his teasing and huffed indignantly. With one last smirk Dean was gone and out of the door, leaving her alone in the hallway.

* * *

She wasn't sure how long she stood by the door, but eventually she was joined by none other than Damon.

"Weren't they a bucket full of sunshine?" Caroline looked at him in annoyance. "What? Just trying to lighten the glum mood... little bear." He added with a wide smirk.

"Damon! Why do you always listen into to my _private_ conversations?" She shrieked as Damon avoided a punch.

_Men._

**Sorry the update took so long! I was working on my Klaroline fic and it took me a while to sit back down and get this down...**

**This is the last part for now, though I may eventually add a Part 4.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**

**RW**


End file.
